Uber starts new carpool service to expand presence in Seoul

Uber, an American car transport and food delivery company, has launched "uberSHARE", a new variant service of its car-hailing service in a new attempt to expand its presence in South Korea that followed a fine of 8,900 US dollars for illegal taxi services.

The company launched "Uber X", a car-sharing service, in 2014, seeking to take a share of South Korea's transport industry, but strong protests from the Seoul city government and taxi companies forced it to close its service two years later.

Uber came back with "Uber Black", a premium car-hailing service, and "Uber Assist", a transportation service for the weak and disabled. It also launched "UberEats", a food delivery service, and "Uber Trip", a premium call-taxi lease service in August this year.

The company's carpool service for commuters in Seoul, uberSHARE, was launched this week as an alternate means of eco-friendly and economic transport that would healp ease Seoul's traffic congestion. The new service is available in Gangnam District, the heart of Seoul's finance and trend, and service areas will be expanded later to other districts.

uberSHARE provides rush-hour services for four hours from 06:00 am and for seven hours from 05:00 pm until the midnight. Commuters can request an uberSHARE driver via a smartphone application. On top of a basic rate of 1,500 won (1.3 dollars), users should pay an additional fee of 50 won per minute and 450 won per kilometer. The rate is about 30 to 40 percent cheaper than ordinary taxis.